Toy sand mold



Oct. 19 1926.

C. M. SILVER TOY SAND MOLD Filed Oct. 5, 1925 NVENTYOR.

ATTORNEYAY Patented Get. 19, 1926.

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CHARLES M. SILVER, OF

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

TOY SAND MOLD.

Application filed. October This invention relates to improvements in toy sand molds.

It is the object of the invention to provide a mold and co-operative base plate so a designed that children can readily make toy images in sand with comparatively great perfection of outline.

Tn molds heretofore used by children it has been necessary to invert the mold quickly after filling in order to prevent the contents from being spilled. ln the present device the mold proper is closed temporarily by a removable base plate upon which the mold proper is supported by its flanged bottom. The base plate has an upturned flange which serves as a handle to permit the base plate to be grasped readily and which enables it to be used as a sort of shovel for filling the mold. The flanged bottom of the mold proper not only co-operates with the base plate but furthern'iore prevents the mold from sinking into the sand when the base plate is Withdrawn. Thus the image is formed above the pile of sand in which it is positioned instead of being partially submerged therein. Thus one cause of blurred outlines of the sand image is removed.

Children do not readily learn that a sand mold must be withdrawn exactly vertically to if the image is not to be spoiled by lateral n'iovement between the image and the mold during such withdrawal. Lateral movement occurring during the withdrawal of the mold frequently the cause of blurred outlines in the image. In order to eliminate this dillieulty a handle is provided for the convenient manipulation of the mold and this handle is made flexible. A light mold of tin or the like will leave the image without injury thereto if a flexible handle is employed to lift it. The direction of withdrawal of the operators hand can deviate for a considerable distance from the vertieal without injury to the cast or image if the handle is sufficiently flexible.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a toy enibodying this invention.

Figure 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

ll hile it is obviously immaterial what particular in'iage or east is to be formed in sand by a mold embodying this invention,

5, 1925. Serial No. 60,499.

there has been illustrated in the present drawing a mold designed to cast an image in sand of a recumbent cat. The mold proper is designated in its entirety by reference character 5 and its lower portion is entirely surrounded by a peripheral flange 6 which is preferably so designed that all portions thereof will lie in a common plane. lVithin the peripherally extending flange 6 the wall 7 of the mold is upwardly embossed with such outline as to suggest the I desired figure in relief. The hollow interior 8 is adapted to be filled with sand or the like to receive the impression of the mold.

The device 5 will ordinarily be inverted for filling it with sand. For the purpose of conveying the sand thereto ll prefer to use a scoop or shovel which comprises simply a flat piece of sheet metal 9 upturned at one of its margins to provide an upstanding fiange 10. When the inverted mold 5 has been filled with sand the sheet metal support 9 is placed thereon and the sup: port and mold are inverted together, the support serving to retain the sand within the mold during such inversion.

After the entire device has been restored to an upright posit-ion the parts will appear as shown in Figure 1. The flange 6 operates to carry the mold from the supporting sheet metal piece 9 and at the same time to permit relative movement to occur between the mold and piece without any material loss of sand such as would occur if the flange 6 were not present.

The base or support 9 is now positioned on the sand pile which is to receive the image and the mold 5 is held stationary with one hand while the base 9 is withdrawn from therebeneath. The base is made of such light weight metal that there is hardly any perceptible drop of sand within the mold following the withdrawal of the base. The operator can exert any desired pressure on the mold during this operation for the reason that the flange 6 operates to prevent the margins of the mold from sinking into the pile of sand upon which the image is to be formed.

It is now possible to withdraw the mold and expose the image. In order to facilitate the withdrawal of the mold without lat-- era]. movement such as would blur the outlines of the image I provide the mold with a handle. Preferably this handle is flexible see and preferably also it is so connected with the mold that the mold will be substantially in balance about its point of support. In the particular embodiment of the invention disclosed in the accompanying drawing I illustrate a handle which comprises a piece of string 11 which passes through an aperture 12 in the upwardly embossed wall 7 of themold 5 and is knotted and engaged within the apertured wall. Balance of the mold is secured in this instance by positioning the aperture 12 substantially directly above the center of gravity of the mold.

It will be obvious that a mold such as that illustrated will be comparatively light in weight, particularly if manufactured of tin, copper or other sheet metal. Where so light an article is to be manipulated it must further be obvious that the flexibility of the string will permit the mold to accommodate itself t the image during withdrawal rcgardless, of any slight deviation from the vertical of the direction of pull or string 11.

What is claimed as new is:

1. A toy sand mold set comprising a hollow shell surrounded by a peripheral flange substantially all parts of which are in a common plane and a plate having an area greater than that of said shell and adapted to cooperate with said flange to retain material in said shell,

2. A toy sand mold set comprising a l1ollow shell surrounded by a peripheral flange substantially all parts of which are in a common plane and a plate having an area greater than that of said mold and adapted to (lo-operate with said flange to retain material in said shell, said plate having an up.- turned manually engageable portion.

3. As a new article of manufacture, a toy sand mold comprising a shallow shell pictorially configured and provided with a flexible handle adapted to facilitate the lifting of such shell from sand molded thereby without destroying the pictorial image imparted by said mold to said sand.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a toy sand mold comprising a shallow shell provided with a flexible handle connected to said shell substantially directly above its center of gravity, said shell being pictorially configured, whereby to be adapted to produce an image upon sand molded thereby.

5. As a new article of manufacture, a toy sand mold comprising a shallow shell provided with a handle having a manually ongageable portion in flexible connection with said shell substantially directly above its center of gravity, said shell being provided with a pictorial configuration adapted to imprint a picture on sand molded thereby, and having a peripheral flange adapted to support it from adjacent sand during the molding operation.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a toy sand mold comprising a shallow shell having a pictorial configuration and provided with an aperture about which the shell is substantially in balance, and a string passing through said aperture and knotted for internal engagement with adjacent portions of the shell.

CHARLES M. SILVER. 

